by Gabe Saglie, Senior Editor, Travelzoostory published in the Santa Barbara News-Press on 11/27/15

Canary Santa Barbara, the 4-Star boutique Kimpton hotel in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara, just unveiled its own premium wine. The 2013 Estate Syrah is made by winemakers Brooke and (son) Chase Carhartt of Carhartt Vineyard. This marks the Santa Ynez Valley-based winery's very first private label for a hotel, and it makes the Canary the very first Kimpton property in California to have its own custom-made wine.

"This is an exciting collaboration for us, as the Canary and Carhartt share the same principles of quality, customer service and delivering a world-class product," says Joe Ramos, who runs Carhartt's Wine Club. "The opportunity to work hand in hand with one of Santa Barbara's premier hotels has been extremely rewarding."

The syrah will be featured in the
Canary's wine-themed packages. For example, guests who book the
"Syrah and Suites" package for travel between February and May, 2016,
will find a complimentary bottle of the '13 Syrah in their Mediterranean-styled
suite. The offer, which is bookable starting in December, also includes
wine tasting for two at the Carhartt tasting room in Los Olivos, an easy
45-minute drive away.

"We see this really as an
invitation for guests to come out to wine country and experience a true, local,
family-run winery,” adds Ramos, who’s also been working with Chase Carhartt to
educate Canary’s restaurant and concierge teams on the merits of Santa
Barbara’s wine country.

"Wine is an important part of Santa Barbara's culture," says Canary GM Ryan Parker. "Many of our guests travel specifically here for the wineries, so we are always looking for authentic ways to capture the local flavors and create that quintessential Santa Barbara experience."

Wine curious guests at the 97-room Canary Santa Barbara
also get an invite to the nightly 5pm complimentary wine hour in the lobby.The wine list at the popular onsite Finch
& Fork Restaurant also features various local labels, including the
Carhartt sauvignon blanc and sangiovese.

Carhartt Vineyard is
family-owned and operated, and it sells all its wine direct to consumer through
its wine club and tasting room.It
produces 22 different wines, several of which are grown on 14 acres of
proprietary land, including Rancho Santa Ynez.The Canary 2013 Syrah
comes from the Carhartt estate’s original vineyards, planted 18 years ago, and
is the same wine that retails under the Carhartt label for $34.

For more on Carhartt Vineyard, visit
their 99-square-foot tasting room – widely known as the world’s smallest – at
2990-A Grand Avenue in Los Olivos, or check out the Carhartt website.For more information on Canary Santa Barbara,
located at 31 W. Carrillo Street in Santa Barbara, go to the Canary website.

If you’re like me, there are at least a couple of rare or
expensive or unique wine bottles that have been awaiting a special occasion all
year long.Invitations and invitees have
come and gone.But it’s not until the
holidays that we find a supper special enough to open these reserved sippers
and share them with those we love.

Many of our local winemakers are no different, it turns
out, and I asked a few about the special bottles they’ll be what they’ll be popping
on this Thanksgiving.

Dave Potter (my pic)

Dave Potter, Municipal Winemakers and Potek

“Since we are usually sharing the table with family and
friends, it’s a nice time to share special wines,” admits Potter.Next Thursday, he’s opening up bottles he
picked up on a trip to Burgundy and Bordeaux in 2011, where he got engaged.“Firstly, with five years in bottle
after release, those wines are really hitting their stride now,” he tells
me.“Also, all this insanity in Paris
has really got me thinking about how wonderful France is and how special our
trip was, and wine is a great way to transport us back there.”The Potters are especially thankful for their
daughter, who was born just six weeks ago.

Drake Whitcraft

Drake Whitcraft, Whitcraft Winery

“Well, I actually always just pick any
of my dad’s wines,” says winemaker Whitcraft, whose father, legendary
winemaker Chris Whitcraft, passed away last year.”They are all very special and very limited now.And he always said wine is made to drink, preferably
before it goes over the edge.So this
year, seeing as there is a turducken involved, I will reach for a high acid,
early vintage Bien Nacido Vineyards or Hirsch Vineyards pinot. And for
whites?No offense pops, but I'm going
with my current stuff.”The younger
Whitcraft’s own 2014 Presqu’ile Vineyards Chardonnay, vibrant and
sophisticated, would be a perfect pick.

Aaron Walker, Pali Wine Co.

Aaron Walker

“I will most likely open up a
2003 Syrah from Sine Qua Non called "Papa,” Walker (himself a proud papa of two) tells me.He’s been hanging on to this bottle for 10 years, since his server days
in San Diego, where his love for syrahs was sparked.“This is a wine that I have wanted to open
for some time now, and this Thanksgiving will be the perfect opportunity, with
my family and loved ones nearby.”For a
versatile Thanksgiving white, try Walker’s 2013 Pali Wine Co. Huber Vineyard Chardonnay,
with fruit-driven flavors and lively minerality that will match the entire
feast.

Jonathan Nagy, Nielson by Byron

“We will probably open a Delamotte Rosé as inspiration
for the chefs,” says Nagy, who's also husband of
Riverbench winemaker Clarissa Nagy.“Clarissa loves rosé Champagne, and that makes it special to me.”Nagy’s own specialty is pinot noir, and,
for Thanksgiving, his 2013 Byron “Nielson” Santa Maria Valley pinot would be a versatile
and very food-friendly wine.

Larner is
going back to 1997 both because of the past and the future.“Among a few European selections, we’ll
be pouring a ‘97 Chateau La Nerthe Chateauneuf Du Pape,” he says.“We purchased our ranch in the Santa Ynez
Valley to start our estate vineyard from scratch in that vintage.My family traveled many times to France and
specifically the Rhone Valley seeking inspiration, and I can remember the
excitement my parents felt meeting the General Manager for La Nerthe.Their philosophy is the task I charged myself
with and still hold today -- focus on the vineyard, and the winemaking is easy.”The 1997 vintage also marked California’s
last visit by El Nino, and with the stormy period’s apparent return, Larner
feels that “there is hope of relief from the drought we have experienced for
the last three years.”The Larners will
also be sipping their own estate wines – all fantastic Thanksgiving matches –
like robust yet refined 2011 “Elemental” blend of syrah, grenache and
mourvedre.

Jeff and Nikki Nelson

Nikki Nelson, Liquid Farm

Nelson is reaching back to her birth
year and opening up a 1982 Chateau Palmer.She and husband Jeff won it at a Santa Ynez Valley charity auction last
year.“The projected decline of it is
coming very soon, so no better time to open her up and see what she’s all about,
after 33 years!” she tells me.“Hopefully awesome, fingers crossed.”Liquid Farm’s 2013 Golden Slope Chardonnay, with its citrusy minerality,
would be a perfect sipper while this fancy Bordeaux breathes.

Geoff Rusack, Rusack Vineyards & Winery

For Rusack, the focus is
on the wine for the end of the feast: a 1955 Dow’s Port.“I acquired it even before I met my wife Alison,
and that was well over 30 years ago!” he says.The man behind Rusack Vineyards fell in
love with Port in college, during a skiing trip to Idaho that included a serendipitous
pairing of port, apples and Stilton cheese.“I learned, for the first time, what true synergy in food and drink
was,” he recalls.“Back then, I was
working at a fine wine and liquor store in Santa Monica – Pearson’s
Brentwood.I noticed they had a couple
of bottles of 1955 Dow’s, and I was able to convince the owner into selling
them to me.I’m not sure I was even 21!”

A few Rusack reds by winemaker Steve
Gerbac – including the 2013 Ballard Canyon Estate Reserve Syrah, with its buxom
tannins and chocolate tinges, and the 2013 Ballard Canyon Estate Zinfandel,
made from Santa Cruz Island cuttings and showcasing spice rack aromas and
blueberry flavors – will grace my own Thanksgiving table next week.

No matter what you’ll be popping open
next week, just remember to count your blessings.And don’t hesitate to splurge.Happy Thanksgiving!

One of Santa
Barbara County’s most esteemed vineyards is on the market.

Zaca Mesa
Winery & Vineyards is being sold for $32 million.The historic property along Foxen Canyon Road
is comprised of mostly open, undeveloped land.The site includes about 150 acres of estate grapevines, though it’s
expandable to 250 acres.There’s also a
24,000-square-foot barn-style winery that currently produces 40,000 cases a
year, with a capacity of 100,000 cases.

Zaca Mesa
was one of Santa Barbara’s earliest vineyards.It was established in 1972 by a group of oil and land moguls, including
real estate magnate John Cushman.In
1988, Mr. John Cushman, along with his twin brother, Lou Cushman, gained sole
ownership of the land, and Zaca Mesa has been family-owned ever since.

The Zaca Mesa tasting room (courtesy Zaca Mesa)

“My commercial real estate interests dictate
that I can no longer devote the time and energy to the proper oversight of Zaca
Mesa,” says Mr. John Cushman, who recently divested his interest in Cushman
& Wakefield, the real estate firm founded by his grandfather.However, his continued global role within the
company, which recently merged with real estate services firm DTZ, and his
continued active role as board member, director or trustee of companies like
Callaway Golf, the Boy Scouts of America and the National Park Foundation, has
him traveling more than 8000 miles a week.“After 40-plus years as the steward of this property and the Zaca Mesa
brand, I am ready to pass it on to a new steward who can take it to new levels
of success and preserve its unspoiled beauty."

Aside from some 750 acres of land, the new
owner of Zaca Mesa will also inherit a legacy that’s well known in the wine
industry.In 1978, under the direction
of its first winemaker, Ken Brown, the estate was the first to plant syrah
grapes in Santa Barbara County. In 1990, President
Ronald Reagan poured a Zaca Mesa pinot noir at his 80th birthday
party.Zaca’s 1993 Syrah, made by winemaker
Daniel Gehrs, took the #6 spot in Wine Spectator Magazine’s Top 100, the first
time a Central Coast wine ever appeared on that coveted list; President Bill
Clinton would pour that wine for French President Jacques Chirac during a White
House visit in 1996.

"An interesting aside about that," Mr. Gehrs' wife, Robin, wrote me via Facebook as soon as this story broke. "The award-winning syrah was sold out at the time of the State Dinner so John Cushman provided it from his personal cellar!"

Winemaker Eric Mohseni leading a winery tour (courtesy Zaca Mesa)

The list of winemakers who’ve trained at
Zaca Mesa over the years reads like a who’s-who of some of Santa Barbara
County’s best, which is why many insiders often refer to the winery as Zaca
U.Jim Clendenen, Bob Lindquist, Adam
Tolmach, Chuck Carlson, Benjamin Silver and Clay Brock have all held winemaker
titles here.Zaca’s current team
includes head winemaker Eric Mohseni and assistant winemaker Kristin Bryden.

Zaca Mesa is home to seven Rhone grape
varieties, including 91 acres of syrah and smaller plantings of grenache,
mourvedre, cinsault, viognier, roussanne and grenache blanc.There’s no home onsite, but the three parcels
that make up the ranch are all zoned for residential development.The property is listed with Katie Somple of
WineryX Real Estate.

About Me

Welcome to the online home of Gabe Saglie. Gabe is Senior Editor for Travelzoo and a respected travel contributor for dozens of TV news programs and national shows. Gabe is also a longtime wine and food writer based in Santa Barbara, California, where he lives with his wife, two boys and daughter.